𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ➳ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬

Chapter 10 ~ Telling Daddy

Carl and I shared a look as we followed Rick to the church in the town square. I bounced Winnie on my hip and she giggled slightly as we walked. Apparently, there had been a new development regarding the Sanctuary's gun situation and the retrieval mission we went on to get them. And there seemed to be a tension between dad and Rick and I assumed there had been a disagreement of some kind between them on the trip. I shrugged away the thoughts, leaning into my fiancee's side as we followed Rick up the steps to the church before finding a seat on one of the many pews towards the front.

Rick stepped up to the podium and began to address the crowd of citizens and fighters that had formed, "Thank you all for coming. We have a very serious matter that needs to be discussed... It seems as if we were unable to locate the weapons in the Sanctuary,"

I frowned as a murmur of uneasiness disrupted in the crowd. What was he talking about? That's where they were headed when I'd parted ways with them earlier today. Surely they had found them by now? Where the guy had said they'd be before dad took him out? Rick put up a hand, silencing the people, if only for a minute so that he could speak again.

"But even though that plan fell through, I promise you that we will locate more-" he continued before one man cut him off.

"What if you don't? How can we fight Negan with no weapons? He's got more people than we do! More fighters!" the man protested.

I rolled my eyes in disgust. How pathetic. Was he such a coward that he thought we wouldn't give it our all anyway? We'd beaten much worse odds than this before. No matter how many weapons or people we'd had.

"We have allies! Other groups that are willing to help and that we've made alliances with to make sure we win this war," Rick addressed everyone, stepping down so that he was now standing in the front of the aisle, "Negan took too much from us - friends, family. Our livelihood. Everything we'd built up, he tore down in less than a year. And that ends... It may not be today. I'd rather it be but while I can't promise you that, I CAN promise that it will end. That we WILL win this war."

Everyone began to clap at his speech, myself included and Carl shot me a smile as he clapped as well. The crowd dispersed soon afterward and after noticing Winnie making grabbing motions with her hands towards Carl, I passed her to him. My eyes locked onto Daryl's lone figure exiting through the doorway and I caught up with him just barely, my fingers latching onto his black, long-sleeve shirt.

"Dad, wait up!" I said into the night air.

He was turned away from me, facing the other way. I frowned, feeling as if something had happened that he wasn't telling me.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" I asked, softening my tone as he let his shoulders sag in defeat.

Wordlessly, he sat down on the porch steps and sighed deeply, resting his elbows on his knees. I chewed the inside of my cheek, hating seeing my strong father so helpless like this. It was...a debilitating feeling. With slow movements, I lowered myself onto the steps beside him, not saying anything. Silence reigned between us and I briefly glanced down at the scuffed boots on my feet before nudging his foot with the toe of one them.

"So what's up? Something's bothering you, I can tell," I said softly to him.

He sighed lowly, shrugging before fishing a pack of cigarettes out of the front pocket of his shirt. Whipping a lighter out of his jeans pocket as well, he lit it up and took a drag before sliding both back where he'd gotten them. He let a long, slow puff of smoke drift from between his lips out into the open air.

"Those things will kill you," I told him quietly.

A chuckle erupted from his mouth and I grinned, feeling the tension melt away like ice in July.

"Better these than walkers," he smiled, bumping his shoulder with mine playfully.

A brief silence washed over us then before he spoke once more.

"I want this all to be over. All of it - Negan, the Saviors, the death of people close to me. I want it all over. I'm...I'm sick of feeling like a prisoner to him," he said bitterly, a sadness in his tone that I'd never heard before now.

I nodded, understanding him completely, "I know. I feel the same... But dad...we're gonna beat him,"

Daryl's light blue eyes connected to mine and I continued in earnest.

"We will. I know it. In here," I told him as I slid a hand over my heart briefly, "We're gonna make it, dad. We're Dixons - we always do,"

Daryl looked at me for a long time, his expression one of pride and love. His hand clamped down on my shoulders then and he pulled me into a side hug.

"We are Dixons...thanks for reminding me of that, sunshine," he said quietly into my hair, raw emotion poured into his words.

"Anytime, dad," I smiled up at him and he returned it before planting a brief kiss on my forehead.

A comfortable quiet ensued then, the only sound to be heard those of crickets chirping and the gentle breeze blowing fallen leaves across the sidewalk. I bit my lip then, thinking of what I'd found out today. I hadn't told a single soul of what I knew. And maybe it was time I did...

"Dad...I found out something," I said quietly, his head turning as I'd begun to speak.

His eyes held mild interest and I knew he was listening. Time to bit the bullet.

"I...dad, I'm pregnant," I breathed out slowly, my hand coming to rest on my stomach.

Daryl was quiet, his eyes widening in shock slowly before he took a few slow deep breaths. This was the first time I'd ever told him something like this. After all, I'd already been pregnant when I'd told him I was his daughter. But this...this was new ground for the both of us. But Daryl Dixon surprised me that night. Quicker than the naked eye could see, a grin had split his face and his hand came to rest on my knee, squeezing it gently.

"Boy or girl?"

Note: So I hope you guys got that throwback reference between Daryl and Angel - it was from an early chapter from book two, Her Freedom ^_^